Deaf and hard-of-hearing customers now have improved access to South East Water’s customer service team as the drinking water company rolls out a new video interpretation service.
South East Water’s website now offers the SignVideo service, which connects the customer with a British Sign Language (BSL) translator to enable easy and effective communication with the drinking water company’s customer service team. By clicking on a link on the get in touch(opens in a new tab) or priority services web pages(opens in a new tab), customers are seamlessly connected to a BSL translator who works with a member of the customer service team to support the customer’s needs. It is free for customers to use, is signed by qualified sign language translators, and no specialist equipment is required. The service is available throughout call centre opening hours.
Tanya Sephton, Customer Services Director at South East Water, said: “Over 18 million adults in the UK are deaf, have hearing loss or tinnitus, which equates to one in three adults in the UK.
“People for whom sign language is their first, preferred or only language have diverse literacy levels and it is estimated that British Sign Language is the preferred language of 87,000 deaf people in the UK.
“Everyone should be able to access our services without barriers. SignVideo is the perfect partner to help us become a more inclusive and accessible organisation and ensure that our deaf and hard-of-hearing customers can now easily access the exact same information as other customers.”
Matthew King, General Manager, SignVideo by Sorenson, commented: “We are delighted to partner with South East Water and support its commitment to equal access to its services for its British Sign Language (BSL) using customers.
“Through making and investing in this commitment, South East Water shows its dedication to its deaf BSL using customers. Through deep understanding of the barriers that the BSL community faces when attempting to access services, South East Water has committed to removing barriers of access to its services ensuring excellent customer service levels for all."
More information on South East Water’s accessibility offering is available on the website:
southeastwater.co.uk/sign-video(opens in a new tab)
*South East Water customer service centre is open Monday to Friday 8am to 7pm and Saturday 8am to 1pm. Customers can contact South East Water on 0333 000 0001.
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*** https://rnid.org.uk/get-involved/research-and-policy/facts-and-figures/prevalence-of-british-sign-language/(opens in a new tab) and https://bda.org.uk/help-resources/(opens in a new tab)
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